# Biden finally calls out the MAGAs **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 2, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814 "2022-09-02T12:40:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/1 "2022-09-02T12:40:30Z")
Biden finally called out the MAGA Republicans last night. In a speech in Philadelphia, he pronounced the MAGA Republicans and Trump in particular as threats to our country. I’m happy that he finally did this. IMHO this is a good way to go after MAGAs. Take their mask off and show the swing voters what the Republicans have truly become. IMHO every Democrat on the ballot this fall should follow the same strategy. Call out the MAGAs as the threat to the country that they are. > [@Joe Biden](#): > > Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very republic. Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election: either they win or they were cheated. > **[Biden addresses nation: ‘Too much of what’s happening ... today is not normal’](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/01/biden-maga-republicans-philadelphia-speech-00054510)** > > The president delivered his speech in a familiar setting and framework, but the context was new: It was the White House’s closing argument for the midterms. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/2 "2022-09-02T12:53:45Z")
Why is he being so mean? ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/3 "2022-09-02T13:00:27Z")
I know Trump is very skilled in being able to reach new lows that we didn’t know existed, but offering pardons _and apologies_ now for the J6 convicts is a low I didn’t think he would stoop to. And I’m baffled that anyone is still carrying water for him after statements like that. The Republican party is now fully complicit in the attempt to overturn democracy. After Palin’s loss in Alaska, they’re now taking square aim at ranked choice voting and fair redistricting efforts. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/4 "2022-09-02T13:02:13Z")
This is the voice of a decent man deeply worried about the utter irrationality and the looming fascism and authoritarianism that has infected America. The responses so far from Republicans? Fox News is screaming that Biden is “dividing America” by vilifying Republicans. Kevin McCarthy is demanding that Biden “apologize”. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/5 "2022-09-02T13:03:30Z")
Such increasingly wild and desperate flailing means they’re scared. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/6 "2022-09-02T13:05:48Z")
Yes, the people who have spent years hurling the most vile insults at Democrats are now crying and clutching their pearls that Biden has called them out, with some justification. My heart bleeds for them, really it does. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/7 "2022-09-02T13:20:56Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The responses so far from Republicans? Fox News is screaming that Biden is “dividing America” by vilifying Republicans. Kevin McCarthy is demanding that Biden “apologize”. I’m looking at the results from the recent election in Alaska. > Democrat Mary Peltola has received the most first-preference votes, at 39.64%, followed by Republicans Sarah Palin, with 30.94%, and Nick Begich, with 27.84%. Since Peltola won’t receive a majority of these votes, elections officials will count the next-highest-ranked choices of those whose first preference was one of the write-in candidates or the third-place finisher, which is shaping up to be Begich. You’d think they’d notice this. Most people put a Republican down as their first choice, but of those who voted for Nick Begich, a majority decided they’d rather have a Democrat than a MAGAt. At some point, they have to realize that supporting the crazies is costing them. Don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/8 "2022-09-02T13:28:02Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Kevin McCarthy is demanding that Biden “apologize”. 🙄 I like this part. The MAGAs are reduced to being cry babies because they’ve already tried everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/9 "2022-09-02T13:43:51Z")
Biden (or his press secretary) should respond “We’d like an apology for all of the threats of violence against Democrats, especially gun violence, over the last ten years. You go first.” ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/10 "2022-09-02T13:58:14Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > You’d think they’d notice this. Most people put a Republican down as their first choice, but of those who voted for Nick Begich, a majority decided they’d rather have a Democrat than a MAGAt. At some point, they have to realize that supporting the crazies is costing them. > > Don’t they? No, they have to change voting rules and redistricting boundaries so that they can elect enough of the crazies that the majority’s voice is irrelevant. With a side of “continue to demonize the opposition to the point that voting for our crazies seems the only possible choice”. But that seems to be failing if in Alaska a majority of voters, including a healthy dose of Republicans, would prefer Peltola to Palin. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/11 "2022-09-02T14:41:21Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > But that seems to be failing if in Alaska a majority of voters, including a healthy dose of Republicans, would prefer Peltola to Palin. And that’s sort of my point. Gerrymandering can only go so far, and requires that the opposition votes be relatively isolated from the rest of the state. But if they’re driving off their traditional voters, then the Democrats will start getting votes in the already-gerrymandered districts that were supposed to favor Republicans. And of course, in Alaska in particular, it only has one seat in the House of Representatives, so that fundamentally can’t be gerrymandered. This vote shows that a majority of Alaskan voters don’t want the Crazy Party. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Senate as well. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/12 "2022-09-02T14:53:47Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I like this part. The MAGAs are reduced to being cry babies because they’ve already tried everything else. Snowflakes. They are reduced to being snowflakes. I like throwing’s peoples words back in their face. This is how bullies react when they are punched in the nose. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/13 "2022-09-02T14:54:43Z")
One apologizes for doing something wrong. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/14 "2022-09-02T14:58:24Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > One apologizes for doing something wrong. ⁢ I’m going to presume that you don’t mean you think that threatening violence against Democrats was not wrong. Still, you might want to edit your post to make that a bit clearer. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/15 "2022-09-02T15:00:53Z")
I thought the **plant** meant that Biden didn’t do anything wrong and has no need to apologize. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/16 "2022-09-02T15:01:32Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Yes, the people who have spent years hurling the most vile insults at Democrats are now crying and clutching their pearls that Biden has called them out, with some justification. **My heart bleeds for them, really it does**. - My nose runs for them. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/17 "2022-09-02T15:03:06Z")
Biden has nothing to apologize for. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/18 "2022-09-02T15:40:22Z")
Someone on Twitter (can’t find the Tweet) put it well this morning: “If you’re offended by Biden calling out fascism, guess what, you’re a fascist.” ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/19 "2022-09-02T15:54:36Z")
I do deeply appreciate Biden talking to the elephant in the room. I am NOT advocating dropping to the level of the current Republican party ([in terms of threatening to hunt their political opponents and critics with firearms](https://www.npr.org/2022/06/22/1106863281/eric-greitens-says-his-rino-hunting-ad-was-meant-in-humor-how-will-voters-see-it)) but it’s time to stop mincing words. Up until now various Democrats have tried to put emphasis on good governance, the protection of our democratic norms, and the like - and Republicans have just kept hammering away with ‘our way is the only way.’ And how many threads and posters (including myself at various points) have kept on going about how just quietly trying to get people to keep on keeping on just encourages Republicans? Yes. Call them out. Make them own their BS, or make them start cracking down on their crazies. Since we know they won’t do the latter, then as @Shoeless points out, bring out every single hate filled tweet, Fox interview and attack ad for the last 6-10 years and ask for a formal apology FIRST. I don’t fully ascribe to the whole ‘looking strong’ gets you voters POV, but it may actually prevent some loss of Democratic voters and moderates who are giving up and going for the whole bunker mentality thing when there’s an appearance that the leaders of the party aren’t willing to stand up to their opponents. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814/20 "2022-09-02T16:00:02Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Kevin McCarthy is demanding that Biden “apologize”. 🙄 Biden should apologize to all of us for not kicking McCarthy’s ass. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-finally-calls-out-the-magas/970814.md?page=2)